Needle-protector for knitting-machines.



No 783,005. I PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905. I. B. WILDMAN. NEEDLE PROTECTOR FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPIIIOATION FILED MAY 20, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. WILDMAN, OF NORRISTOIVN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,005, dated February 21, 1905.

Application filed May 20, 1904. Serial N0- 208,865.

To all whont it bury concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK B. WVILDMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at N orristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle-Protectors for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for detecting imperfections, such as knots or lumps at the needles of a knitting-machine and for stopping the machine when such knots or lumps occur in the thread or fabric at the needles.

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention, showing its relation to the needles. Fig. 2 is a front view of Fig. 1 with parts omitted. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

The invention concerns a detector or protecting device of the same general character as that illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States granted to A. McMichael and F. B. Wildman, May 23, 1893, No. 498,076. In said patent a finger K is arranged with its end adjacent the point where the thread passes to the needle, so that if any knot or lump should be present in the thread it will be caught by the said finger, and as the machine continues to operate the tension of the thread will rock the finger and move the arm connected therewith from over a verticallymovable spring-pressed rod L, allowing the same to rise and lifting an arm N into position to be struck by one of the pins or lugs Q on the rotating plate of the machine, the movement of the arm N being utilized to operate any stop-motion mechanism, as fully disclosed in said patent. As shown in said patent, the finger K moves horizontally, and when moved in this direction it is liable to strike the needles and interfere with the proper working of the machine.

It is the object of my invention to provide an arrangement which will be simple in construction and effective in operation and in which the finger will not strike the needles when it is moved by a lump or knot occurring at the needles.

In my present arrangement I employ a rockshaft 1 in place of a horizontal swinging arm, said rock-shaft being journaled in bearings 2 in a standard 3, which is secured to the stationary base-ring 1 of the machine by ascrew 5, passing through the base 6 of the bracket or standard. The rock-shaft has an opening at 7 extending vertically therethroug'h, which receives the shank 8 of a finger 9, which extends downwardly and is bent inwardly toward the center of the machine at a slight inclination. This finger is held in place bya collar 10 and a nut 11, which works upon a thread 12 on the end of the rock-shaft. By loosening the nut the finger can be accurately adjusted to position. The rock-shaft is held in position longitudinally by a collar 13 on the said shaft, bearing against the side of the bearing 2, and also by a thumb-nut 1 1 on the end of the said rock-shaft. Between the nut 14 and the bearing 2 an arm 15 is arranged on the rock-shaft to rotate the said arm, being secured to the nut 14 by a pin 15. The arm has a curved edge 16, provided with a recess 17, in which fits the upper end of the stem 18, which is guided in the bracket 3, the said stem being pressed upwardly by a spring 19, and said stem at its lower end carrying an arm 20, which when raised is in the range of a series of pins on the rotating part of the machine, such as are described in the patent above mentioned.

If the rock-shaft is turned to move the arm 7 the spring 19 to exert its force and elevate the stem and the arm 20.

An important feature of my invention relates to the arrangement of the protectingfinger 9 in relation to the needles, for it will be noticed that as the said linger is carried by the rock shaft and depends therefrom its lower end will describe a rising arc when it is moved by the knot or lump, and thus it will move away from the needles and will not strike thereagainst. The arm on the rockshaft is provided with an upward extension 21, to which a link 22 is connected by a slot and pin 23 24:, the said link being connected with any suitable detector device arranged to catch a knot or lump as it passes from the bobbin toward the needles and to operate the arm some time before the said knot or lump arrives at the needles of the machine. Such detector mechanism may, for instance, be like that shown in United States Letters Patent No. 698,089,dated April 22, 1902, in which the link would have suitable connection with the shaft 104:, though I do not limit myself in this respect. The slot in the link is provided in or der that the arm may have movement by the action of the finger 9 independent of any movement of the link 22.

The main object of the needle-protector is to prevent a loading up of the machine when one or more needles become defective through wear or imperfect adjustment of yarn-carriers or thread-guides. For instance, should a latch become broken or bent the needle would immediately begin to load with an additional stitch at each feed, as the loops could not be knitted off, and were it not for the needle protector the neighbors of the crippled needle would also be broken, as the take-up would be unable to take the fabric away from the needles at this point, and the damage to the fabric and needles would become greater and cover a larger area at each revolution of the machine or at each feed.

It will be seen that the finger adjacent the needles is associated with a cam device adapted to control the position of the vertical stem 18. This cam maintains its connection with the stem in all positions of the said cam, and after the finger has been operated by pressure from a bunch or knot and has been turned aside and the cam turned to allow the stem 18 to rise the said cam remains in contact with the stem, and in order to reset the parts it is simply necessary to grasp the nut or finger-piece li and turn the rock-shaft 1.

This turning movement is limited by the lower projecting point of the cam-piece striking against the side of the stem, as shown in Fig. 2, and when this stopping takes place the depending finger 9 will be in position to be operated by the imperfection at the fabric. It will thus be seen that turning of the rockshaft by the finger-piece let accomplishes two things it resets the depending finger and it also depresses the stem 18, because the cam works against the upper end of the said stem.

I claim as my invention- 1. A needle-protector for rib-knitting machines employingtwo circular rows of needles, comprising a horizontal rock-shaft, a depending finger thereon having its extremity directed to a point between the sets of needles to be operated by a lump or knot at the needles, said linger being supported on the rock-shaft to rise when pressed upon, and connections from the rock-shaft for operating a stop-motion device, substantially as described.

2. In combination, in a rib-knitting machine, a horizontal rock-shaft, a finger depending therefrom and having an inclined or bent portion with its extremity directed to a point between the two sets of needles to be pressed by a knot or lump so as to turn the rock-shaft and cause the finger to describe a rising are, and means operated by the rock-shaft for stopping the machine, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a horizontal rock-shaft, a finger depending therefrom with its extremity adjacent the needles, an arm on the said rock-shaft having a recess in its edge, a s pringpressed stem engaging the said recess and movable vertically, and means operated by the stem for controlling a stop-motion.

4C. In combination, a horizontal rock-shaft, a finger depending therefrom with its extremity adjacent the needles, a bracket in which the rock-shaft is journaled, a stem vertically movable in said bracket, a spring for pressing the stem upwardly and an arm on the rockshaft for controlling the stem bearing with its lower edge upon the upper end of the stem, substantially as described.

5. In combination, a rock-shaft having an opening, a finger extending through the opening therein with its end close to the needles, a collar and nut on the rock-shaft for holding the finger in place and connections from the rock-shaft for operating a stop-motion, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a rock-shaft, a finger depending therefrom with its extremity adjacent the needles, an arm on the said rockshaft, a spring-pressed stem engaging the arm, the said arm having an extension, a slotted link connection with said extension, and connections controlled by the said arm for stopping the machine, substantially as described.

7. In combination, a horizontal rock-shaft having a linger depending therefrom adjacent the needles, an arm depending from the said rock-shaft, a spring-pressed stem controlled by the depending portion of the said arm, and means operated by the stem for operating a stop-motion, substantially as described.

8. In combination in apparatus of the class described, afinger having its end adjacent the needles to be operated upon by a bunch or the like, a cam associated with the said finger, and a member controlled by the said cam whereby when the finger is returned to operative position the said member will be set by the cam working thereon, substantially as described.

9. In combination in an apparatus of the class described, a finger extending with its end adjacent the needles, a vertically-extending stem, and means for controlling the said stem connected with the said finger whereby the stem will be set in operative position automatically when the finger is set in operative position, substantially as described.

10. In combination, a finger extending adjacent the needles, a rock-shaft carrying the finger, a cam on the rook-shaft, and a stem controlled by the cam, said cam automatically depressing the stem when the finger is restored to operative position and allowing the stem to rise when the finger is removed from said operative position, substantially as described.

11. In combination, a finger extending adjacent the needles, a rock-shaft carrying the finger, a cam on the rock-shaft, astem bearing on the cam and controlled thereby, both as to its upper and lower positions and means for turning the rock-shaft to reset the finger and to cause the cam to automatically depress the same, said means consisting of a finger-piece on the shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK B. WILDMAN.

Witnesses:

CARRIE LANDIS, SARAH TRUMP. 

